Infectious Infatuation
by SeaGreenEyes222
Summary: Ever since the outbreak, Annie Cresta has been fighting off zombies on her own. Human beings have become a rarity now a days so she is shocked when she runs into a man named Finnick Odair. Trust is something that is not earned very easily during the days of the apocalypse, so Annie and Finnick will have to learn to overcome fear and rediscover trust, friendship, and love. AU ODESTA
1. Chapter 1

Twenty year old Annie Cresta was convinced that human beings had become sort of a rarity now a days. Ever since the outbreak occurred, nothing was like how it had been before when the Earth was normal. It was like a slow, painful suicide for the planet, and it had worked pretty well. Annie hadn't seen another human being in over a year, well, what she thought was over a year. The dates had kind of jumbled together, and Annie never bothered to keep track.

Annie herself was short, with long, brown hair that went down to about her belly button. She had never bothered to cut it, so it just continued to grow. She had a fairly pale complexion despite being in the sun for hours on end. She usually burned, didn't tan. She had bright green eyes with a plentiful amount of freckles that spread across her cheeks. She didn't look like much of a threat, but she had been on her own for awhile and learned a thing or two about killing these.. _things_. At first, it was hard to get over the fact that these things were once human beings, able of thought and feeling, possessing memories, thoughts, opinions.. But that's not who they were anymore. They weren't human. They were vicious, flesh craving fiends. She quickly learned that they did not deserve mercy. Thinking with emotions these days was definitely not the way to go, although it was harder to control then one might think. She herself had always been an emotional girl, but ever since she had lost her family, she had grown cold, but more logical. She had a way with weapons, but specialized in her throwing knives that she possessed. She had a handgun on her as well, and knew how to use it, but it wasn't her favorite method of killing zombies.

Annie had recently collected a few cans of food from an abandoned convenience store. Nothing big, the store had already been raided a few times, and she took whatever she saw that might satisfy her hunger. She had gotten used to the hunger pains though, she never ate enough, and you could tell by looking at her that she was malnourished. Her ribs poked through her dirty, black tank top, and the shorts she wore around her waist sagged a bit due to the fact that they didn't quite fit her anymore. She twirled the knife around in between her fingers and looked around, observing her surroundings closely. _Be aware of your surroundings_. This was one of the key things she was taught by her family before she lost them. They had made a good attempt to stay alive during the beginning of the outbreak, but in the end, their kindness is what had killed them. Annie remembered the earlier times of the outbreak, she was around sixteen years old when the disease started to spread. She and her family would take in as many people as they could since both of her parents were doctors. Sparing the gory details and making this long story short, someone had turned in the middle of the night and bit her mother and father. The only reason Annie had survived was because at the time of the attack, she was in the basement practicing piano, not upstairs where she was sure if she was there, she would've met her end. She ran like a coward away from her mother and father who were now coming after her to rip her flesh apart. That was the last time she ever saw them, if you even want to count that as actually them.

As she walked down the path of the long dirt road, her eyes scanning the green trees, the blue sky. Even though humanity was pretty much gone, nature continued to prosper, maybe even better now now that there were less people to hurt the environment. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a gun cock behind her and shut her eyes tightly. Her first thought probably should have been, _shit, there's a gun pointed_ _at my head right now_ , but instead, her thoughts were, _only a human being could handle a weapon. A human being is pointing a gun at my head right now._

"Your name," the voice behind her said. Low, distinctly male. Gruff. Whoever he was, he sounded like a guy that she did not want to mess with. He was probably here to take everything she had. That was how it worked. Kill or be killed.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and sighed.

"Annie," she replied.

Now was when she started to feel the panic coursing through her. What if this man killed her? Took her stuff? She would be left with nothing. Taking all her belongings would be worse than killing her, in her opinion.

"Put your weapons on the ground. All of them," demanded the man.

Her brain started working for ways she could get out of this. She could quickly turn around and shoot this guy right in the head. There was a chance she could miss, then get shot herself. All of the options were too much of a risk except one. To comply, to set her weapons on the ground just like he wanted.

Annie bit on her lip and took a deep breath before removing the three other knives she had in her belt loop, as well as the one in her hand. She set her bag down on the ground which contained her small handgun.

 _Fuck_ , she thought to herself.

"Turn around," he ordered.

Upon doing so, she came into view of a tall, very handsome man. Very handsome, although he was pointing a gun at her. One of the first things she noticed about him were his eyes, bright green, staring intensely into hers. He was at least a foot taller than her at least, and had definitely a stronger build than her. His hair was sort of a bronze, blonde color, which looked to have gained its lighter color from the sun. Her eyes locked with his and suddenly, she felt out of breath. His gaze was intense. It intimidated her, made her nervous, but she couldn't look away from him. Maybe she was just imagining things, but she saw his hard, static face change for just a second, into what she thought was maybe curiosity. But, it quickly returned to its threatening, hardened look.

"Annie?" He repeated, as if testing out the name, or maybe trying to reconfirm it.

She nodded, swallowing hard, looking at the gun pointing straight at her.

"What's yours?" She asked, even though that was stupid. It's not like she really wanted to even know his name, but she couldn't help but be fascinated with the human being standing in front of her right now. Living, breathing, talking to her.

Her social skills were definitely off since the only person she had been talking to this past year was herself.

The man paused for just a moment before he replied.

"Finnick."


	2. Chapter 2

"Finnick," Annie said, repeating his name back to him. It was a nice name, rolled off the tongue fairly well. She had heard it before but she wasn't exactly sure where. Perhaps she was making that up in her mind, although the name seemed to have been stored in a memory from a very long time ago.

Annie observed the man, Finnick, closer now. He was wearing a dark green shirt that was ripped in a few places. As expected, there were a few blood stains as well as a few dirt stains. It's not like it was anyone's top priority to look good during the apocalypse, but somehow, despite his bedraggled appearance, it was absurd to deny that Finnick was aesthetically appealing. This didn't mean much to her, though. His good looks didn't cause her to trust him anymore. In fact, it made him even more intimidating and even less trustworthy. If two years of high school had taught Annie anything, it was that the more attractive a person was, the more likely they were to manipulate you.

"Stay there. Don't move," Finnick said as he stepped forward, kicking her bag and the knives toward him. He dropped to his knees, still looking to her as he pointed the gun at her.

"That's not necessary," Annie blurted out. _What an idiotic thing to say to someone who is pointing a loaded gun at you._ "The gun," she added quickly. "I'm sorry."

Finnick looked at her abhorrently, scoffing.

"I'll hold this gun to you for as long as I deem necessary. Do you understand?" He asked, his voice sounding eerily calm, which made his sentence all the more threatening.

Annie quickly nodded, watching as he began to gather her things with one of his hands and shove it into the backpack draped along his shoulder. Her heart sunk as she watched him take each and every one of her food cans, weapons, anything and everything she had collected throughout the year. She started to feel her blood begin to boil. A mix of anger and sadness overtook her and she wanted to attack him, to tell him to get away from everything that she had worked hard for. But she didn't, she knew better. Now he was going to leave her here to die.

"Please don't," she said in a feeble voice that she barely recognized as her own. Her bottom lip was quivering now as she looked at him desperately.

Finnick looked up to her, getting back on his feet and leaving her empty bag on the ground. He shrugged, slowly putting his gun in his belt buckle.

"This is the way the world works now, darling," he replied.

She couldn't stand how smug he looked, how he displayed absolutely no signs of remorse. She watched as he turned around and began to walk away.

"I'm going to die out here!" Annie said in a desperate attempt to get him to stop. " Please, I'm going to die." She didn't even realize she was crying until her voice cracked. That in itself embarrassed her, but she was panicking. There was no way she would survive out here with nothing. No weapons, no food..

Suddenly, he stopped and took a deep breath before turning around. He looked almost annoyed as he shook his head and ran a hand through his bronze colored hair. He came closer to her, way too close in fact. It made her stumble back a little.

"You can stay with me tonight, and only tonight. After that, you're on your own. Do you understand?" He asked in a stern sounding voice.

Annie nodded quickly and he gave her a quick glance over before he started to walk again. She watched as he shook his head to himself again and sighed. She was bewildered as to why he would steal her stuff, but then offer to let her stay with him for one night. She didn't question it for much longer though and started off to catch up with him, keeping a distance as she walked by his side, looking around her carefully. She felt so vulnerable, so exposed out here with nothing to protect herself with. The only protection she had was this complete stranger who had only let her come along out of pity.

He didn't speak a word to her as they walked, only keeping his hand rested upon her, now his gun, in his belt buckle. As the hot sun beat down on her, Annie quickly felt herself becoming dehydrated and fatigued. She wasn't a stranger to feeling this way, so she continued to walk as fast as she could to keep up with his accelerated pace. She tried her best to keep her mind occupied so instead of thinking about how hungry, and tired, and thirsty she was, she could think about something else. Her eyes stayed on the trees, on the green around her. She watched as a bird flew around in the sky, observing the way it soared through its vast, bright blue world.

That was the last thing Annie saw before everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

When Annie finally opened her eyes again, she was lying down, looking up at the dark sky through the thick trees. She felt warmth beside her, and squinted her eyes as she peered over at the fire that was burning before her. She took in her surroundings, noticing a small tent pitched in the background. It was in between two trees, fishing wire looping around the trees to make a circle around them. Empty pop cans were hung on the fishing wire, presumably to alert someone that walkers were near since they would inevitably run into them. It was a good idea, and it looked like whoever had set it up had been here for awhile. Who had? Disorientedly, her eyes then registered upon Finnick, who was holding some sort of meat over the flame, slowly turning it around to cook it evenly. It took her a moment to register what had happened to her, but as the memories came flooding back, her heart sank. She reckoned it was better being unconscious than dealing with the situation she was in right now.

Finnick eventually looked over at her, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Oh, welcome back," he said in a monotonous voice, his eyes fixing back on his food almost immediately like he couldn't be bothered with her. "I honestly didn't think you'd wake up. You were breathing, but your pulse was so weak, I thought for sure you were on your way out." He said this as if it were no big deal, in the same unconcerned tone, still not looking at her.

Annie sat up and rubbed her head, feeling like she immediately needed to lay back down. She couldn't reply to him, even if she wanted to. Her body felt so weak that even talking felt like it would be a massive amount of work. She stared at the fire in a daze, her eyes then fixing upon the meat, which she now identified as rabbit, on the stick Finnick was holding. The pain in her stomach returned immediately, her body reminding her that it didn't have much time left.

The bronzed haired man glanced at her, noticing what her eyes were fixed upon.

"I guess you can have this one since you finally woke up," he said, sounding slightly disappointed as he kept his eyes on the rabbit. Finally, he removed it from the fire, handing the stick it was attached to to Annie.

She had been hungry before, and had passed out because of it plenty of times, but never for so long. Only for minutes, never hours. It was nighttime now; Annie could see the stars in the dark sky through the trees.

It took a lot of effort just to reach her hand out and take the food Finnick had offered her. Her bones felt like they were made out of chopsticks, threatening to snap in half at any minute. She looked at him, nodding in thanks before she took a bite of the meat. Closing her eyes, she sighed in a sort of relief and slowly chewed even though everything in her wanted to devour the food in an instant. She took her time, but still finished fairly quickly. Annie felt better than before after finishing, but her body still craved more food. It was a feeling she was used to, never being full. Always needing more. In this world though, one had to settle for the bare minimum. It was either that, or to not eat at all. She always took what she could get.

"Thank you," she said after she had finished and finally had enough energy to speak up. Finnick dismissively nodded, again, not bothering to look at her.

Despite her words, feelings of anger and sadness started to brew in her again as it dawned on her this man was going to leave her for dead after tonight. She looked at her own bag, tucked protectively between Finnick's feet. All her weapons, her food, important things she had collected over the years... ripped away from her by a complete stranger. She had to do something to get her things back. Perhaps she would wait until he was asleep, and sneak off. Maybe she would kill him too for what he had done to her. The first human she had seen in over a year and he was no better than the dead ones she dealt with everyday. Maybe even worse.

Interrupting her thoughts, Finnick spoke up again, the sudden sound of his voice making her jump a little. "You're going to be staying up on watch first, seems like you got enough sleep anyway," he said with a small smirk. "You wake me the moment you hear something," he added, more seriously now, the smile fading quickly from his lips. With that, he stood up, picking up her bag and heading for the small tent.

"Wait," Annie said. "You're not going to leave me with a weapon?"

Finnick narrowed his eyes at her, and looked at her like she had personally offended him with this question.

"I told you to wake me if you hear anything. That shouldn't be a problem. I'm a _very_ light sleeper," he said warningly to Annie as if he had read her thoughts from a few moments ago. With that, he tucked into the entrance of the tent and zipped it up, rustling around inside for a bit before he went still.

 _Shit_ , even with him sleeping she was defenseless. He had everything, and surely if she tried to take it from him, he would wake up. Annie had no choice but to just lay her head against the tree, staring miserably at the fire. Tears started to fall from her eyes, but she didn't bother wiping them away. Despair and despondency washed over her and for the first time in awhile, she allowed herself to really feel these terrible emotions. She knew she wouldn't last much longer, and even though this life she led was immensely grueling, she didn't want to die. Something in her made her want to keep fighting, she had made it this far.

Annie kept her eyes open, watching the fire slowly die out as the hours passed. After awhile, her eyes began to droop, and she couldn't help but give in to the exhaustion. The next thing she knew, she was awoken by a faint, rattling noise. When she saw the zombie, her eyes widened and she immediately sprang to her feet. Panic began to consume her thoughts, feeling helpless and exposed with no weapons on her.

As the zombie tripped over the wire and into their enclosure, Finnick unzipped his tent and stepped out, knife already in hand. He effortlessly plunged the weapon into the zombies' skull, watching it meet the ground with a thud. He looked to Annie, shaking his head.

"You were supposed to wake me up," he said jarringly, grabbing the book bag from the tent.

Before she could say anything, there was a low, far away sound of groaning. A sound that was all too familiar. Annie turned her head and looked behind her, her eyes widening at the sight of about ten or twelve of the undead making their way to them both. They weren't fast, but they weren't exactly slow either.

"Let's go," Finnick said in a static voice, grabbing Annie's arm, jerking her along with him further into the woods. She stumbled along with him, finding herself becoming increasingly angry at him again. She didn't have a weapon and was at his mercy only. It's not like he cared much about whether she lived or died either.

The sounds were growing louder and now coming from multiple sides. Finnick let go of Annie's arm, stopping and hastily reaching into the book bag to pull out a gun. He shot the few walkers that were ahead of him and began to trudge forward again, his pace increasing until they were both running.

Annie's heart was racing as she ran along behind him, her eyes searching for a way out of the woods. She was becoming fed up, she was not going to die because this asshole wouldn't let her defend herself from their common enemy. Despite her lack of energy, Annie grabbed hard onto her bag on Finnick's shoulder, causing him to be stopped abruptly. Before he could even turn around, Annie swiftly grabbed another knife from the bag, backing up immediately before he could try to grab her. From their running, they were far ahead of the zombies, but it was only a matter of time until they caught up with them.

Finnick's eyes shifted from the weapon in her hand to her eyes, where he met her with a furious gaze.

"You're making a big fucking mistake right now," he said. "Did you think about the fact that I have a gun and you have a knife?" He added, sneering and laughing coldly.

"I'm trying to defend myself! I'm not fucking bait, okay?!" She yelled, finally exploding even though he was pointing the gun at her now.

As he was about to say something, both of them heard two guns cock, one after the other in front of them. They turned their attention away from each other to see a man and woman with their guns drawn.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note:** Hello all, I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please note that all characters in this story are from The Hunger Games novels but placed in an alternate universe (AU) where they do not know each other. These particular characters do not have any association with Panem. I will also at some point be writing a few chapters in the perspective of Finnick, but the story will be told mostly in Annie's perspective. Thank you, and feel free to review!

* * *

"Hand over your weapons if you want to live," the dark haired woman said, her almost black eyes piercing looks between Annie and Finnick.

"We don't have time to-" Finnick said, before he was cut off by a gun shot which hit the tree behind him, fired from the gun of the woman. He jumped a little, as well as Annie, and both of them looked at the people before them in a sort of shock.

"Now," she demanded, and Finnick shot her a glare before he handed his gun to her. Annie followed after, giving her knife to the woman as she looked at the both of them wearily. After so long without seeing humans, she had come in contact with three who were both threatening and unpleasant. She wondered if dealing with zombies was easier than dealing with humans.

"Let's go before we all become dinner," spoke the man with the dark hair and blue eyes. Both of these people looked like they were fairly young, around Annie's age. They also looked oddly clean for being in an apocalypse. The woman wore a black tank top with dark green pants and combat boots on her feet. The man wore a gray t-shirt with tan shorts and thick worker boots. They looked like they were healthy as well, and Annie wondered how that could be.

Finnick and Annie began to jog behind them, the man and woman both shooting at any zombies that came in their way. They seemed to be quite experienced with this, despite their looks.

Annie felt weak again, her legs threatening to give out beneath her as she tried to keep up with them. After what seemed like forever, they finally came in view of a tall, white fenced in area, right in the middle of the woods. The trees were cleared out to make room for the enclosure, a stone path leading up to the front of the gate. The dark haired woman rushed them along and quickly took out her keys to unlock the gate. She rushed them all inside and closed it behind them, locking it again.

Annie's eyes widened as she looked at the quaint little house enclosed within the fence. They were standing at the edge of the stairs leading to the front door of the house. That's why these people looked so well off. Who wouldn't be living in conditions like this? Before the outbreak, people took shelter for granted. As the virus spread, people rushed to get as far away from the area as they could, leaving behind their homes. Most houses had been ransacked and practically torn apart by now. These people had gotten lucky to find shelter like this. Despite the blood stains on the outside of the white fence, the house looked fairly nice. The windows were boarded shut, for safety, Annie assumed. She wasn't the only one fascinated at the sight before her, for Finnick was looking over the house just as carefully as she was.

"What are your names?" The man asked, running his hand through his dark hair as he eyed them circumspectly.

"I'm Annie," she said, realizing that they should play nice with these people. Frankly all she was thinking about was getting some food in her stomach, and these people looked well fed.

"Finnick," the green eyed man said to the both of them, his eyes looking over the weapons they had taken from them earlier.

"I'm Johanna," the dark haired girl said, her eyes scanning over Finnick for a long moment before looking to the man by her side. "This is Gale. We live here with three other people."

Johanna looked at the both of them as if she expected them to say something. When they didn't, she filled the silence again. "We aren't opposed to bringing people in. If you two would like to join us here, we have enough room," she said, and Annie tried to hide her excitement by pursuing her lips and glancing to Finnick, who met her eyes at the same time. "That being said, there is a catch. We'll be taking and keeping all of your weapons. When we've decided you two are trustworthy, we'll give them back. But for now.." Johanna said, trailing off and meeting their eyes again.

Annie knew what her answer was. She didn't exactly trust these people, but they had a legitimate form of shelter, and apparently, access to food for many people. Maybe it wasn't the smartest decision, but Annie was thinking of the long term benefits. Always being clothed, fed, sheltered.. There was nothing more she wanted than that. She looked to Finnick, seeing his eyes narrowing slightly at Johanna and Gale.

Before Finnick could respond, Annie nodded her head quickly. "Okay, that sounds like a deal," she said. "Thank you." A small smile crept up on her lips as she watched Johanna and Gale begin to walk up the stairs to their front door. Annie followed behind, looking back at a rather displeased looking Finnick. Nonetheless, he followed them to the front door, his fists beginning to curl up as they opened it.

Johanna and Gale led them inside the house, Annie noticing the kitchen on the left of them as they walked in. It had a small stove, counters, and cabinets. A dining table was set up there, where she saw three other people sitting. To the right of them was the living room, a few chairs and a couch set up in front of a fire place with a mantle where she assumed a TV would go if they had use for one. The house was small sure, but it's not like Annie minded one bit. It was more than enough for her.

She noticed the three other people sitting at the table, a young looking girl who had bright blonde hair, another woman who looked a bit older, not by much, with brown hair tucked in a side braid. There was a man too, blonde hair just as bright as the other girls. Annie wondered if maybe they were related.

Johanna seemed to notice Annie's eyes fixed upon them, and the others looked curious about her and Finnick too.

"Everyone, this is Finnick and Annie. Finnick and Annie, this is Katniss," she said, gesturing to the brunette with her hair in the side braid, "..Madge," she continued, gesturing to the blonde girl. "And Peeta. They were all here before Gale and I. I was the last to be brought in, before you two."

"Nice to meet you all," Annie said, trying to sound as little of a threat as possible because she knew these people were on edge. Finnick didn't try hard to create that vibe, he just nodded to them and curled his lips up in what Annie assumed was an attempt to smile. The group looked at them for a moment or two before responding.

"Well, welcome to our home," the blonde girl, Madge, spoke, a smile forming on her lips. Annie sensed that she was the most friendly one out of the group.

"Well, you two... smell.. like you could use a shower. We don't have hot water, but we have water. This house still has a generator that works. We only have one bathroom though, it's upstairs," Johanna informed, and Annie's eyes widened slightly. She had kept herself "clean" by finding streams to "bathe" in, but it's not like she had any shampoo or body wash with her during her travels. That's why these people looked so clean compared to her and Finnick. It had been a long time since she _really_ got clean. It was something you took for granted before the outbreak occurred.

Finnick glanced over at Annie, seeming to notice how eager she looked. He rolled his eyes, his eyes peering at the stairs leading to the upstairs. "You can go first," he said, trying to sound monotone like usual, but Annie could tell he was just as excited about this place as she was. No matter how much he tried to hide it and remain cold and observed, she noticed the look in his eyes.

"I'm sure I can find something else for you to wear too. You look about my size," Johanna said kindly even though she didn't smile.

Annie smiled in thanks at Finnick and Johanna, starting up the stairs. She found the bathroom, going in and shutting the door behind her. She turned around, coming into view of a mirror above the sink and almost jumping at her reflection. She hadn't seen herself in so long. Jesus, she looked rough. There was dirt on her face, her hair was a mess, her cheeks and eyes were sunken in due to malnourishment, and dark purple circles were visible underneath her eyes. She definitely looked like she had seen better days. She had seen better days, all of which were a distant memory.

Annie sighed, trying not to let the image of herself ruin the good feelings she had about this house. Once she fully undressed, she turned the water on, stepping in and gasping softly at the cold on her back. She got used to it after a moment, letting the water completely saturate her body. Annie closed her eyes, sighing in a sort of relief. She took careful time washing her hair, and her body, scrubbing off all the dirt on her face as well. Just something as simple as this caused her to cling onto hope. A hope that life would be better here,


	5. Chapter 5

**Readers** : Not to worry, this is an Odesta fanfic. But these things take time to develop, especially in the apocalypse, so I ask you wait patiently for Finnick and Annie's inevitable love affair. Also, this fiction is rated M for many reasons, sexual situations being one of them. The language used during said scenes will NOT be censored or skipped over in any way. Just a fair warning. Thanks!

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 **Finnick's POV**

As Annie showered, Finnick took in his surroundings of the house, as well as the people before him. He took a seat at the table in the dining room, making sure to keep his distance between the other three that were sitting closely together. He folded his hands, staying silent as his eyes darted to different things in the room. He didn't know why, but he felt.. uncomfortable. He hadn't been around so many in a long time, he almost had forgotten how to talk and be friendly. These dark years had turned Finnick into a different person than he was before the world went to shit.

"So, are you two... together?" Johanna asked carefully, referring to Annie, her eyes meeting his from across the room.

Finnick laughed and shook his head quickly. "I met her yesterday. I was just trying to do my business, but she begged me to bring her along with me. Said she wouldn't survive on her own," he explained. He was only half lying, but there was a reason for it. He couldn't let these people think he was too unkind, but not too nice either. He had to gain their trust and at the same time, not let his guard down. He wasn't planning to do anything to them, but Finnick was always ready to defend himself. Trust didn't come easily to him these days.

Finnick noticed a small smirk playing on the dark haired girls lips, wondering why any of the words he had said would have sparked a reaction like that.

"Well, now you're both here with us. No need to worry about her anymore," Johanna said, straightening out her shirt. She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "We're going to have dinner soon," she said, changing the subject as she kept her eyes on Finnick. "Feel free to join us after your shower."

Her eyes were hard to ignore, so dark and piercing. They didn't seem to leave him either. Finnick knew quite a lot about women. Before the outbreak, he lived wildly, having the time of his life partying and always being accompanied by a girl, usually a different one every night. He had gotten around, and knew this look of a women very well. The same look Johanna was giving him now. He watched her fingers absentmindedly play with the fabric of her shirt, noticing the small smile playing upon her lips as well. Her body language gave her away easily, but Finnick just smiled a bit to himself as he looked down at his hands.

Everyone slowly began to pick up conversation again, talking amongst each other about things that obviously didn't concern Finnick. For now, him and Annie were the newbies, and they'd have to assimilate to the new lifestyle before they could fit in.

When Finnick heard the shower turn off upstairs, he cleared his throat and stood up, giving Annie a few moments to collect herself before he went upstairs, noticing Johanna's gaze following him as he did. He found the bathroom, undressing and turning the water on. God, it felt good to get clean. He washed his hair and body twice, taking his time and relishing the feeling. Even though they had taken their weapons, he couldn't deny that he was thrilled about the new housing situation he had landed himself in. He doubted it'd be much longer till they got their weapons back, not like these people seemed like much of a threat anyways.

After his shower was done, he took the white towel that was hanging up and wrapped it around his waist. When he looked in the mirror, he could've sworn that his hair had gotten three shades lighter from just washing it. It showed how bad he really needed that shower. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes meeting his dirty clothes on the ground. He didn't think putting them back on was a good idea, so he had to go search for a pair of new clothes he could have. As he opened the door, he jumped when he saw Johanna standing there with a pile of clothes in her hands. He seemed to have startled her too, but she laughed after, handing him the clothes. He couldn't help but notice her eyes wander, and also the faint blush that was beginning to spread over her cheeks.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to.." Johanna started, but Finnick cut her off.

"It's fine," he said, trying to hide the fact that he was amused. His eyes met hers, searching them for further indication of what she wanted. He didn't have to search much further, though.

"So," she said, making no indication that she was going to step back from him. In fact, she stepped forward, narrowing the gap in between them. "Not with anyone, huh? Everyone here has someone. Not me," she said, sounding not so shy anymore. Her eyes peered up at him carefully as she tilted her head.

Finnick chuckled softly, looking down at her. "I'm not looking for a relationship, if that's what you're implying," he said to make his point clear.

"I am looking for a relationship. Just not one that's romantic or includes feelings in any way," she said smirking, slowly moving her fingers to trace along his bare arm. "One that instead is.. mutually beneficial. A no strings attached type thing. I've never been one for relationships anyway." She bit lightly on her lip, moving her fingers down his arm slowly. "You haven't had anyone in a long time. I haven't either. There's a point where it.. It just gets too _hard_ to bear." Her voice got quieter in the last sentence, her tongue slowly tracing along her top lip.

Finnick couldn't help but look at her lips, his eyes lingering for longer than they should have. God, she was sexy. His eyes then moved to watch her fingers tracing up and down his arm. He swallowed hard, looking down at the girl before him. Girls like this had gotten him into trouble before. What could he do though? He was only a man, and he couldn't remember when the last time he had some female company was. He was taken aback by her straight forwardness, but also turned on by it at the same time. It was hard to place what exactly he was feeling, but it's not like he was thinking with reason anyway. "That sounds good to me," he replied smoothly, a smirk still playing upon his lips.

"I don't want to waste any time. Meet me in my room after dinner," Johanna said with a grin, looking him up and down one last time before she left him with his new clothes in hand.

Finnick cleared his throat, taking a deep breath and running his fingers through his messy hair. He wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into with her, but he didn't doubt it would be fun. He got dressed into his new clothes, a navy blue t-shirt with black pants that went to his knees. Taking one last look at himself, he started down the stairs, seeing everyone at the dinner table. There were only six chairs available at the table, and he noticed Johanna and Katniss were eating standing up at the counter. Finnick took a seat, meeting Annie's eyes for a moment. She looked nicer now that she was cleaner, he noticed. He could see the pale, milky color of her clear skin, the rosiness in her cheeks.. She shot him a small smile and averted her eyes back down to her plate of food, which he figured she was more than overjoyed to have. He noticed her struggling to take her time with eating, but he didn't blame her. It's not like he had shown any signs of sorrow in front of her, but he did actually feel sorry for her. Hopefully this place would make her feel healthy again.

Finnick took some food onto his plate for himself and began eating, catching Johanna looking at him once or twice. Once she had finished her meal, she went upstairs, presumably to wait for him. He didn't care much about the fact that they had just met each other. Finnick was no stranger to having one night stands, but this was going to be more than a one night stand. He needed it. After everything he had been through, he deserved this. Release.

Once he was done with his meal, he thanked Madge, who had made it, and hurried up the stairs. He made his way to the only door that was closed, which he assumed to be Johanna's room. Slowly, he opened the door and went inside, his eyes fixing on Johanna who was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, wearing nothing but underwear. Finnick's eyes widened a bit, his breath catching in his throat. He swallowed, looking over Johanna as he made his way to the girl. He smiled a little as he looked down at her, his hand moving to touch her shoulder, sliding his fingers down her arm as she had done to him. He hadn't seen a woman naked in quite awhile, it was a site that he forgot he missed that much. Not much time for sex when there were zombies to be killed. His eyes peered into hers as he moved his hand to the back of her neck now, pulling her in to kiss her.

 **Annie's POV**

They gave Annie a room to share with Finnick, but he wasn't here at the moment so she had it all to herself. When she laid down in the clean bed, she sighed, a smile forming on her lips as she pulled the comforter over her. She couldn't actually remember the last time she slept in a bed, not to mention one that was this clean. Her head laid down on the pillow, slightly damp hair draping over it. Soon after, she heard... noises, coming from the other room. She sat up, tilting her head and trying to make out what it was. A voice, distinctly female. Crying.. wait, no. Not crying. Moaning. Annie scrunched up her face a little, noting that these walls were definitely not sound proof. It sounded like Johanna, but with who? Maybe Gale? Peeta?

"Finnick!" Annie heard Johanna cry out, and Annie's mouth fell open.

A few hours, a few hours and he was already making sex buddies? She wondered how he could trust these people so easily, but she figured that this wasn't about trust. This was about men being men, no matter if they were in the apocalypse or not. Her face still scrunched up in a sort of disgust, she laid down again, taking the pillow and holding it over her head so it was covering both her ears. She closed her eyes, trying to leave behind the stressful yet rewarding day she had went through.


	6. Chapter 6

******Chapter TW: Sexual assault******

* * *

Annie woke the next morning to the sound of faint chatter coming from below, which she presumed to be the kitchen. Stretching her arms, she sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around the room. She had slept so well and comfortably, not having to deal with the body pain she usually faced for sleeping on the ground. It was nice waking up and actually feeling energized for once. Grumbling came from Annie's stomach, so she stood, running a hand through her messy morning hair and heading downstairs. She met everyone in the kitchen, most of the seats being occupied except for one, which she then took. Her eyes looked up to see Finnick and Johanna sitting by each other, Finnick looking happier than ever. She hadn't actually seen him smile before like this; maybe it was something as simple as sex that could change a man's attitude around like that. Annie was always taught that men were only after one thing, and to be careful around them. Her parents had raised her to be sheltered and unknowing of the world around her. After they died due to the outbreak, only then did the world take off its mask and reveal its ugliness to her. She never lost her reserved nature though, and because of it, never even let a man kiss her.

Finnick finally looked away from Johanna and then at Annie, seeming surprised that she was there. She figured that he hadn't even noticed her until now. This time, she didn't feel like forcing a smile at him. She met his eyes for one moment before looking down at her plate and beginning to scoop food onto it. He was unkind to her, and had made no real effort to try to get to know her in any way. Only because Johanna had thrown herself at him was he acting nicely towards her. If that's what it took to be his "friend", she didn't want any part of it.

As the weeks passed, Annie slowly began to get more and more comfortable with her new life in the house, and the people in it. Both Finnick and her had gotten their weapons back from the group, although there was no real use for them sheltered inside the house. She made friends with Madge, the blonde haired girl who was, she learned, in a relationship with Gale. The girl was kind to her, and went out of her way to make sure Annie was okay. The rest were nice to her as well, but none so caring as Madge. Annie watched as Finnick made friends with everyone too, becoming more likable each day among the crowd. It helped that Johanna talked positively about him every chance she got. Everyone in the house was in some sort of relationship, but not Annie. She genuinely didn't care, she got her own room and didn't have to worry about someone else, just herself.

Speaking of herself, Annie had gotten much healthier over the weeks. She had gained a lot of weight, and was looking well, not weak or malnourished. It had been a long time since she felt this good. Her health and stamina had taken a blow once she had started to be on her own, struggling to survive most days. That was all behind her now, and she had nothing to worry about. Well, almost nothing. There were still flesh eating monsters skulking around outside the fence.

Johanna and Finnick continued to do their thing, practically every night. Annie had gotten pretty used to sleeping with pillows on both sides of her head. This morning, after she had woken up, she made her way down the stairs again and sat at her usual spot which she had established over the weeks. With still tired eyes, she took some food onto her plate and began to eat.

"So," Gale spoke up. "Today, we're going to be going on a run for food and supplies. We usually pick two people to go around and scavenge for things in our usual places. It's about a five mile walk to the first spot," he said, his eyes moving to look at Finnick and Annie. Johanna seemed to notice this and spoke up shortly after.

"I think I should go.. with Finnick. I can show him where to go, Annie wouldn't know," she said quickly, glancing at a Finnick with a small smile. Annie wanted so badly to roll her eyes, but she just shrugged in response at Gale who sighed.

"Okay, that's fine. Try to stick to the mission though," he said, shooting Johanna a warning glance.

She just smiled and nodded, quickly standing and sort of pulling on Finnick's arm to stand with her. Finnick smiled, Annie noticing a look of apprehensiveness on his face as he stood up with her. Both of them went off to find their weapons, returning shortly later with backpacks, and guns in hand.

"Okay, be back later everyone," Johanna said, and with that, her and Finnick left the house hurriedly, closing the door behind them.

Annie sighed, looking down at her fingers and absentmindedly picking at her nails. She eventually finished off her food, standing and going to put her plate in the sink. She decided that today, she needed to get out of the house, just for a little bit. Perhaps she'd just walk around the forest with her gun to get a bit of fresh air. Of course it was nice having shelter, but she had been cooped up in that house for weeks.

Annie eventually stood from the table, going upstairs into her room and changing into a black t-shirt with blue jeans. She smoothed out her shirt, running her fingers through her hair to straighten it out. With that, she grabbed her gun and headed downstairs.

"I'm going out for a bit," she informed the others sitting at the table, who just nodded in acknowledgement.

Annie left through the front door, slowly stepping out into the hot air, a light breeze blowing her hair. With a smile on her face, she headed down the porch stairs and out the exit of the white gate. Breathing in the fresh air, she began to make her way into the forest. Her gun was in hand, but thankfully, she didn't see many zombies out today. She tried to be quiet in the hope that it would stay that way, and it did. Things were peaceful out there by herself. She got to be alone with her thoughts but this time, is they weren't full of worry.

After awhile of walking, Annie started to hear voices. Humans. She wondered if maybe it was Johanna and Finnick since they had just left, but as she inched closer, looking through the trees, she realized it wasn't. She ducked behind a tree, peeking out and seeing three men talking amongst themselves. Two of them were about the same height, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The other had black hair, was a little shorter, and had facial hair stubble along his cheeks and neck. She tried to hear what they were talking about, but she couldn't make anything out. As she inched closer, a branch snapped from under her foot, making a loud noise which caused the men to look up and stop talking.

Annie quickly went to hide behind the tree, closing her eyes tightly. She didn't want these people to find her out here alone, fearing they might react the same way Finnick did and take her stuff. She kept as quiet as possible, but it didn't take long for the men to start forward. The dark haired man tucked behind the tree and came into view of her, his gun drawn. When he got a good look at her though, he laughed and put his gun down.

"It's just a girl," the man called, and the two other blonde men came to stand next to him, smiling as well when they saw her. Annie noticed the smile wasn't exactly a kind one. She couldn't place her finger on what they were thinking, but she knew that she didn't like it.

"I don't want trouble," Annie said, her gun tucked behind her back as she looked up at them, slowly beginning to back away.

The dark haired man's eyes averted to her hands behind her back, tilting his head as he took a step towards her, causing her to move back even more.

"What are you doing out here all alone anyway?" He asked, but before she had time to answer, he nodded towards one of the other men, who started forward to grab Annie's arm.

She struggled to get out of the blonde man's grip, but he disarmed her easily, throwing her gun to the black haired man. He looked over her gun, smiling, more sinisterly now.

"A girl like you should know better than to walk by yourself," he said, grabbing her other arm and pushing her up against another tree. He leaned his body against hers, trapping her.

Annie's heart raced, tears beginning to well up in her eyes as she looked at the man. She didn't know what he was going to do. All she could do was struggle against him.

"Let me go, you fuck!" She yelled in a voice that displayed both anger and fright. Annie managed to get her knee up to meet in between his legs, causing him to groan and let go of her arm. The other still had hold of her, so she used her other hand to hit him hard in the jaw. But this time, the man didn't let go. It was apparent they were just angrier now, the dark haired man grabbing her arm again.

"You little bitch," he said irately, forcing her to the ground, pinning her legs down now with his knees. "Get her arms," he said to the men who quickly held both of her arms down.

Annie screamed as the dark haired man grabbed onto her shirt, quite literally tearing it off her, and only then did she realize what they were going to do to her. She couldn't move her arms or her legs, completely powerless beneath them. The man moved to tug her jeans off her, his strong arms practically forcing her legs apart. She screamed and cried for them to let her go, but to no response. Fear and despair coursed through her entire body, and she knew right there and then that despite everything she had been through, this would be the worst thing to ever happen to her.

* * *

 **Finnick's POV**

"Johanna, please," Finnick said with a small smirk as Johanna leaned her weight against him, his back pressed up against a tree. She was kissing his neck, and getting particularly handsy. "Stick to the mission remember?" He said, grabbing her shoulders to gently push her away from him.

She pouted. "How can I stick to the mission when you're looking like that?" She asked, her lips turning into a smile as she moved to kiss him again.

She was interrupted when both of them heard screaming from a distance. Johanna looked at Finnick who turned his head in the direction of the screaming. His gut told him that the voice sounded familiar. He needed to go.

"Stay here. I'll come back. Just.. stay," Finnick said to Johanna who nodded, looking a little frightened.

Finnick ran fast in the direction of the screaming, frantically looking around for what the source might be. Maybe it was just his mind, but it sounded like.. Annie. But why would it be?

His question was answered when he emerged through the trees to find three men holding Annie down. Her clothes were ripped, and when he had gotten there, the man had just tugged off her pants.

Immediately, anger began to bubble up inside him. No, not just anger. Rage. There was nothing more he hated than a rapist. To him, the act was more despicable than murder. To see his.. friend.. there too. Underneath them, powerless no matter how much she struggled.

"Hey assholes," Finnick said gruffly to get their attention since he had gone unnoticed by all of them. As soon as the dark haired man on top of Annie looked up, he shot him in the stomach, causing him to scream out in pain. He purposefully didn't shoot to kill. He wanted this to last awhile.

He saw the other two men scrambling to find their guns, and quickly, shot both of them, not bothering to aim very well. He wanted all of them to be in a lot of pain before he killed them. He watched as they toppled over in pain and went over to collect their guns, sticking them in his bag.

The dark haired man looked up to Finnick, spitting out blood onto the ground.

"We were just having a little fun. We haven't seen a woman for months," he said. "Y..You have to understand."

Finnick responded by kicking him hard in the stomach, particularly where his wound was. This caused him to scream out again, and Finnick watched with a smirk on his face as the tears welled up in his eyes.

"No, I don't understand," Finnick said, standing over him now, his foot on his chest, pressing down hard. "I don't get off on preying on innocent women. You know what though?" He said, his jaw hardening as he looked down at him. "I get off on getting rid of sick fucks like you." With that, Finnick shot him again, and another time for good measure. It would kill him, but not for awhile. He'd bleed out if the zombies didn't get him first. A slow, painful death was what he deserved. What all of them deserved.

His eyes darted to the other two men, who were clutching their wounds and breathing slowly. Finnick's blood still felt like it was boiling. Without thinking, he filled the other two with bullet holes, emptying his entire handgun clip. He was breathing hard, watching as they both went limp, bleeding out heavily onto the grass.

He had been so caught up in this that he forgot about what really mattered.. Annie. She was curled up in a fetal position, her arms holding her bare legs with her face buried in the grass. Finnick quickly went over to her, scooping the girl up in his arms. She shook, not saying a word but clutching onto him instead.

"It's okay, I have you now. You're safe," he said quietly in her ear, pulling a jacket he had out of his book bag and wrapping it around her. "You're safe. Let's go home."

Slowly, he lifted her into his arms and stood up. Annie just buried her face into his chest, not wanting to look at the scene that just happened before her. Finnick slowly stroked her soft, brown hair in an attempt to comfort her as they walked home. He knew it'd be hard for her to recover from this, but he decided that he was going to be there for her. It's not like he was very close with Annie or anything, but this situation had really shaken him up. He felt a strong urge to protect the small girl in his arms. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her ever again, if he could help it.


	7. Chapter 7

Black. That was all she saw. Pure black. Just because she didn't want to see anything else.

Her eyes were shut tightly, her head leaned against Finnick's chest. All she could hear was his heavy breathing as well as the faint crunching sound of twigs and branches beneath his boots. His grip on her was secure, but not too tight.

"We're almost home," Finnick whispered to her, and she nodded a tiny bit in response, just holding onto him tighter.

Eventually, they arrived at the house, Finnick going through the front gate and banging on the front door. Katniss opened shortly after, her eyes widening when she saw Finnick carrying a barely clothed Annie.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Katniss asked, moving aside so that they could come in.

Finnick hurriedly stepped through the door, watching as everyone got on their feet to help.

"These men, they attacked her. I heard her screaming," Finnick breathed out. He couldn't seem to catch his breath, and he knew that wasn't because he was tired. It was because he was still so furious. "I'm going to get her taken care of."

With that, he took her upstairs, everyone's eyes following him. Finnick placed the dark haired girl to sit up onto the bed, immediately getting a blanket to cover her with. He wrapped it around her shoulders, watching her as she hugged it close to her. Her eyes were still closed, but tears started to stream down her cheeks.

Her tears quickly turned into sobs, the emotions beginning to overcome her body.

"Hey, hey," Finnick said softly, taking a seat next to her on the bed. Slowly, as to not alarm her in any way, he pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping around her. His hand slowly moved up and down her back, the other holding her head against his chest. "They're gone. They're never going to hurt you again. No one's going to hurt you again, not if I can help it, okay?"

Annie listened to his words, and for some reason, she believed them. He hadn't been all that warm to her, but now, things had changed. He had saved her, and was a hero in her eyes. She appreciated his care and attention, but at the same time, hated the pity she knew he had for her. She felt so weak, so defenseless.

"I couldn't do anything, Finnick. I didn't even know what they were doing to me until.." she started, her eyes looking up to him but quickly looking down again when she cut herself off. She looked down at her hands, picking the dirt underneath her fingernails in a sort of aggressive manner. "I've never even.. been with anyone. They were going to take it from me by force. They didn't care," she added quietly. "The world must really hate me."

Finnick looked at her, his eyes widening in surprise upon learning she was a virgin. That just made this situation all the more tragic. He was relieved that he had saved her before those men had a chance to do anything.

"No," he said, looking down at her to meet her tear filled green eyes. "There are just a lot of bad people out there, Annie."

She went silent and just nodded, her eyes averting down to her fingernails again. She didn't have anything to say to that. Nothing he could say would help her get through this; she knew this was going to scar her for a long time.

"Do you want to take a shower? I'll find you some new clothes," Finnick said.

Annie nodded slowly, and began to stand. Finnick took her arm gently and helped her up, making sure to keep the blanket around her as he guided her to the bathroom. He went to get her clean, new clothes, returning with them and giving them to her. For an odd reason, Annie didn't want him to leave her, but she needed privacy. She needed to let herself be alone and really feel this. Nodding to Finnick in thanks, she closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower, placing the new clothes on the sink counter. She removed her tattered clothes, looking at them in her hands, her bottom lip beginning to quiver as the tears started to steam down her cheeks again.

Sighing heavily, she dropped the clothes to the ground and stepped into the shower, letting the cool water saturate her body. She focused on the feeling of the cold, slowly moving to sit on the floor of the shower. There was no escaping this feeling, no matter what. Annie knew that. She put her head in her hands and began to sob again, letting herself make all the noise she wanted. The emotional release of it felt good. God knows she couldn't keep it inside.

* * *

 **Finnick's POV**

Listening to the shower going above him, Finnick sat down on the couch in the living room, staring off for a long while before he heard the door open behind him. Johanna was standing there, looking quite displeased. He had just now realized that he had completely forgotten about her when he said that he would come back. She dropped her heavy book bag on the ground, looking at Finnick.

"Hey, thanks a lot, Finnick," she said angrily. "I waited for a half hour before I decided you weren't coming back. Don't worry, I got the supplies myself," she snapped.

"Something happened to Annie," Finnick said, taking a deep breath in an attempt to not yell at her like she was yelling at him. Surely if she knew what happened, she wouldn't be so mad.

"What?" Johanna asked, the glare on her face faltering a bit as her eyes narrowed.

"She was almost raped. Not just raped, but gang raped, okay?" He said, not being able to help but snap at her a little. "That's where the screaming was coming from. Is that a valid enough excuse for you?"

Johanna fell silent, tapping her foot angrily as she unfolded her arms. She glanced at the book bag full of things she had collected for the household, and then back at him.

"You still shouldn't have left me there," she said, her voice a little quieter now.

Finnick just scoffed and rolled his eyes, not bothering to entertain her with a response. He would just wait until she wasn't angry anymore to talk to her. Even then, he was preoccupied with more important things. More important things like.. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the shower turn off upstairs. Shortly later, Annie came downstairs, wearing a white t-shirt with long, black sweatpants. Madge immediately rushed over to Annie, her arms wrapping around her in comfort.

"I'm so sorry, Annie," the blonde girl said, stroking Annie's hair for a moment before she pulled away and looked at her. "Anything you need, I'm here."

"Me too," Katniss said as she lightly put her hand on Annie's back, giving her a tiny, reassuring smile.

Johanna was over in the kitchen now, detached from everything that was happening. She didn't seem very interested anyway, not even bothering to glance Annie's way as she put food supplies she had got on her run in the kitchen cupboard. Finnick noticed this behavior, and something about it didn't sit right with him. His eyes averted over to Annie, noticing how she smiled at the girls comforting her, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

As the night went on, Finnick had dinner with the others, but not Annie. She didnt seem to want to eat, in fact, she had been in her room the last couple hours. The sun was beginning to set now, the sky getting darker and darker. After dinner, Finnick decided he was going to check on Annie. He didn't want to be overbearing and bothersome, but he was worried. Why was he so worried? Bad things happened to everyone. Everyone still alive in this world had some sort of tragic story. Why did he care so much about hers?

Just as he was stepping up the stairs, he felt someone grab his arm. Turning around, he saw Johanna and stepped down from the stairs, facing her now.

"I wanted to say sorry for yelling at you earlier," she said softly, her fingers beginning to trail up and down his arm slowly.

"It's fine, Johanna. Just.. I was going to go check on Annie," he said, sort of starting up the stairs again.

"Wait," she said, grabbing his hand. She looked up at him, biting her lip and giving him that look she always did. "I can make it up to you." Her lips curled into a smirk as her hand moved to play with the fabric of his shirt.

For the first time, Finnick wasn't interested. Maybe it was the stress of today's events, or maybe it was her temper towards him earlier, but he was going to sit this one out tonight. He slowly took her hand, removing it from underneath his shirt and letting it go again. He gave her a tiny smile, and shook his head.

"Can we take a rain check tonight?" He said with a nervous laugh as he watched her face go from a smile to a frown.

"Finnick, I'm sorry if you're mad at me, but-"

"I'm not. I just don't want to tonight," he said in a calm voice, his hand moving to squeeze her shoulder lightly. "I'm going to check on Annie."

Johanna didn't say anything, she just blinked at him as she watched him go up the stairs. She didn't understand what she had done wrong, and why all of a sudden his attention was on Annie and not her.

As Finnick arrived upstairs, he made his way to Annie's room and gently knocked on her door. "Annie, it's me, Finnick. Are you okay?" There was no response for a good ten seconds, but before he could say anything else, she opened the door, looking up at him. Her dark hair was bedraggled, her face and eyes looking red from what he presumed was her crying.

"I will be, I think," Annie responded in a feeble voice. She was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "You know, just because you saved me doesn't mean I'm your responsibility now. So, don't feel obligated to.."

"Oh no. No. I don't," Finnick said quickly. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. Just.." He took a deep breath. "I was really... bothered.. by what happened to you today. Every time I think about it, I get angry. I'll back off if you want me to. I just, I don't think you should go through this alone." His words were sincere and kind; he knew because he really meant them.

Annie peered up at him, her eyes searching his for a long moment before she nodded slowly. "Thank you," was all she said.

Finnick figured she didn't want to talk anymore. There was only so much he could do, and maybe right now she wanted to be alone.

"Okay. Good night, Annie," he said, smiling a tiny bit as he stepped away from the door and turned around, beginning to walk away.

"Finnick," Annie spoke quietly.

He turned around again, looking at her standing in the door way as he waited for what she was going to say.

"Can you stay with me? Just for tonight, maybe. I don't want to sleep alone," she said, swallowing hard as she eyed him carefully.

He noticed that she was embarrassed to ask this from him, so she wouldn't have done it if she didn't need it. He was more than happy to do it anyway. It beat having to stay with an angry Johanna tonight.

"Of course," he said with a nod, walking through her door and into her bedroom. He watched as Annie crawled into bed, pulling the covers over her. Dark circles lined underneath her eyes, and her hair was a disheveled mess. It was very evident she was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

Finnick carefully made his way over to the bed, not daring to take any piece of clothing off even though he usually slept in his underwear. He didn't want to make her feel any ounce of discomfort around him. Slipping into bed as well, he pulled the covers over them both and settled himself in.

"Comfy," he remarked, looking over at her with a small smile.

That for some reason had made her smile as well, and she looked back at him. He felt completely different about this girl in front of him now. He hadn't really paid attention to her until today's events and he hated himself for that. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he had become so emotionally detached over the years, that it took something as drastic as what happened to Annie to make him realize that he actually cared about her.

Finnick reached over to the lamp on his nightstand, flipping the switch so that the light turned off and they were laying in complete darkness. He laid there for awhile in silence, not closing his eyes, but instead looking to the ceiling as he listened to his and Annie's breathing. After awhile of laying there, he suddenly felt her shift next to him. She moved her arm to drape across his chest, her body moving closer to his as she curled herself up to him. Finnick looked down at her face, noticing that she was asleep and that she was doing this unconsciously.

Every other time Finnick had been in bed with a girl, his thoughts were always impure. But not with Annie, not even close. There was nothing sexual about this situation, not to Finnick. He didn't have that mindset. Even though they were positioned so close, it felt.. innocent. Nothing like he had ever felt before. She needed comfort and all he wanted to do was be there to provide that to her. It was unlike him to think that way, but he wanted to be a friend to her.

His arm slowly wrapped around the sleeping girl, pulling her into his chest a bit more. Holding her closely and securely, he finally closed his eyes, letting himself become relaxed until he fell asleep with ease.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note** : Hi readers! Thank you for being so patient, I know it has been a minute since I last updated. School and work has me very busy, but I make it up to you by providing a pretty lengthy, and fulfilling chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Finnick's POV**

The next morning, Finnick's eyes slowly opened and he looked around the room disorientedly. His eyes made his way down to look at Annie, seeing her head still resting on his chest, their bodies sort of entangled with each other's. She was still sleeping, a few strands of her dark hair covering her one eye. Without thinking, Finnick slowly moved her hair away from her face to uncover it. He looked down at her, observing things about her that he had never even noticed before. Her eyelashes were full and long, her cheeks naturally rosy, even when she slept. Her hair almost had a curly texture to it, but was mostly straight. Her milky white skin was a good contrast to her full, pink lips. She was beautiful, and he was just really starting to see that now.

After realizing what exactly he was thinking about, he snapped out of it and cleared his throat, slowly moving out from underneath Annie, being gentle enough so that she just stirred a bit and went back to sleep. He got out of bed, running a hand through his messy hair. He gave Annie one last look before he left her room, shutting the door lightly behind him. Already being able to smell the breakfast cooking, he made his way downstairs, greeting everyone and taking a seat at the table. He saw Johanna standing at the counter, talking to Madge about something. When she looked over at him, she gave him a look that told him she was definitely upset. He sighed to himself, his eyes looking to the food on the table instead as he scooped it onto his plate.. Quite frankly, Finnick didn't believe she had a right to be mad at him for anything. He wasn't doing anything wrong, and she was acting like they were boyfriend and girlfriend now. Now that it occurred to him, maybe that _was_ what she thought.

When he was finished with his food, he stood from the dinner table, hoping to escape Johanna as he started for the stairs. He was unsucessful though, because she grabbed his arm, causing him to turn around and force a smile at her.

"We need to talk," she said, practically pulling at his arm as she walked to a more private part of the house.

Finnick begrudgingly followed her, knowing that they probably did need to address some problems. Once she stopped, she looked up at him, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot.

"So, you're sleeping with her now?" Johanna asked quietly, although her voice had a sharp tone to it.

"No, I'm not sleeping with her," he said, scoffing and shaking his head. "Well, I am. But not in the way you're thinking I am. She needs protection, okay?"

"Protection from what? So what she got felt up by a couple of guys? She'll get over it," Johanna said bitterly.

For the first time, Finnick was genuinely pissed at her now for saying this, and it showed. His jaw hardened, and his face became very serious.

"It wasn't fucking like that, okay? I saw it with my own eyes!" He said, his voice raised and stern now. "They were ripping her clothes off, like animals. They were.. violent too. What if that happened to you, huh?"

Johanna swallowed hard, seeming to back down a little when he raised his voice at her.

"I don't get why you care so much. Bad things happen to people every single day, and you don't even know her," she said, sighing.

Finnick didn't have an answer for this. Why _did_ he care so much? He was getting very defensive for this girl, and she wasn't anything to him. He certainly didn't like the way Johanna was talking about her.

"It doesn't actually matter anyway, Johanna. You know that right?" He asked, his voice getting quieter now as he looked at her carefully. "We're not together. We decided we would be friends only."

The look on her face after he said this was enough to tell him that he was right. She looked at him, pursing her lips and nodding slowly.

"I know that," she said, clearing her throat and looking down at her hands now. As much as she tried to hide it, he could see that she was truly hurt.

"Do you?" Finnick asked, quieter, and in a gentler tone since he knew this was already hard for her. "Johanna, if you.. are developing any feelings towards me, we should stop this."

Johanna looked up at him, her lip quivering a little as she struggled to hold back tears. "Okay," she whispered, pursing her lips and wiping the tears that had not yet fallen from her eyes.

Finnick watched her sadly, hating to be the cause of her pain, no matter what she said or did. Seeing her so vulnerable in front of him, knowing he was responsible for the way she was feeling. He thought he had made his intentions clear, but either way, he wasn't going to hold that against her.

"I'm sorry, I should've known this wasn't a good idea," he said, frowning to himself.

Johanna didn't seem to have anything to say, but looked like she was holding on by a thread. Like she was going to burst at any moment. Before she could, she just nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"See you around, Finnick," was all she said before she turned around and walked away, leaving him there to feel regretful.

* * *

 **Annie's POV**

Waking up from a much needed rest, Annie's eyes flickered open and then scanned around the room. She sat up, turning her head to notice Finnick no longer by her side. It had been nice, him sleeping with her. She noticed in the middle of the night that she was wrapped in his arm, but made no effort to change that. In fact, she liked it. Maybe it was just because he saved her, but she felt protected when he was with her. He was a hero to her.

Then, Annie began to slowly remember the traumatizing events from yesterday, and dismay washed over her. She suddenly found in much harder to pull herself out of bed, but eventually did, slowly trudging herself down the stairs. She hated the stares she got when she came into view of the others in the house who were still eating at the table. They all looked at her like she was a wounded puppy. All of them except..

"Hi, Annie," Finnick said, greeting her with a small smile as he came around the corner. "How'd you sleep?"

Annie smiled, an act she believed was impossible for her to do just a couple seconds ago. "Well, thank you," she said, nodding to him as she looked over at the dinner table. She definitely didn't have an appetite this morning. In fact, she just felt like she wanted to lay down more.

As the day went on, Annie barely moved from the couch she laid on for the rest of the day. The only thing she had eaten was a sandwich Madge made her and practically begged her to eat. She felt so defeated and weak. She never knew until yesterday how truly terrible people were in this wretched world. The sliver of hope she had for humanity vanished after she was attacked like that. Could she ever get that back? As of now, she believed the answer was no.

The night came quickly, and eventually, she was the last one left in the living room. Well, almost the last one.

Annie sat up as she heard a clinking of a glass coming from the kitchen. As she turned around, she saw Finnick with his back turned, pouring himself a glass of a clear looking liquid from a bottle. He took a sip and turned around to meet Annie's gaze, not looking surprised when he saw her since she had been there all day.

She appreciated the space he had been giving her all day because she needed it. But now, she was ready to talk to someone. To talk to him. About what, she didn't know.

"Hi," she said quietly, running a hand through her hair as she eyed the liquid in his glass. "Is that water?" she asked.

Finnick chuckled a bit, looking down at the liquid and swirling it a bit in his cup. "No, something a bit stronger. Vodka. It was in the cupboard, I'm guessing that Johanna found it on that run." As he spoke, he slowly made his way over to her, taking a seat on one of the chairs next to her.

Annie looked at the liquid with tired eyes, letting out a small laugh. "I've never even had a drink. Isn't that stupid? I'm twenty, maybe twenty-one, and I've never even had a sip of alcohol." Maybe it was because of her bad mood, but she was becoming resentful of her parents for sheltering her so damn much. Maybe if they didn't, she would've been more prepared and aware of what had happened to her yesterday. Instead, she was naïve. She felt foolish.

"No, Annie. That's not stupid. I admire that," Finnick said softly, taking another small sip from his cup.

"Well, it wasn't my choice. It was my parents. Up until the day they died, I did everything they said. Everything," she mumbled, her eyes looking to his drink again.

Finnick seemed to take notice of that, pausing for a long moment before he spoke up again.

"Do you want to try? It's really not that great, and I guarantee you're not going to like the taste," he said with another laugh.

Annie knew that people drank for various reasons, and one of them was that it made people feel good. All she wanted was to feel something other than what she was feeling right now. She nodded slowly, watching as he handed the glass over to her. Annie observed the liquid carefully, putting it to her lips and taking a large sip. She instantly regretted how big of a sip she took, and almost spit it out, but she didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him. She swallowed the vodka, her face twisting to show how unpleasant that was.

"Oh my god, people drink that? And you're just sipping on it like it's no big deal?" Annie exclaimed, looking at him in a sort of disbelief as she watched his lips curl into a smirk.

"You get used to it," he said, reaching for the glass now. "But it's not for everyone, obviously."

Annie looked at him, raising an eyebrow as he reached out. "You don't think I can handle it, huh? I'm not giving up that easily," she said, taking another smaller sip of the liquid. This time it wasn't so bad, she'd just have to get used to it, like he said.

Finnick seemed surprised at this and put his hands up. "Alright, I won't underestimate you." He grinned.

Annie took a few more sips until she handed the glass back to him, which was practically gone by now. She watched as Finnick poured himself more from the bottle, his eyes fixing back on Annie again.

"So, how do you feel?" Finnick asked.

She noticed she felt buzzier now, lighter, and.. happier. She could definitely see now that people did not drink this for the taste, but rather the feeling. Annie nodded slowly, giggling a little bit for some odd reason.

"Pretty good," she said, running her fingers through her hair as she looked at him. "So, your parents let you drink this stuff?"

"Not exactly," Finnick said, chuckling. "I partied a lot when I was in high school, and the little bit of college I went to. My parents were.. Not exactly okay with it, but they let me have a lot of freedom regardless." Annie watched as he took another sip from the glass.

"So, are they still around?" Annie asked, kind of blurting it out without thinking since she was slightly drunk. She was curious though, curious to find more out about him.

His smile faltered a little bit, and he got more serious as he began to talk. "No, they're… gone," he said, clearing his throat now and looking down at his drink. "It's been a couple years though, so.." He trailed off.

Annie nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," she said genuinely, frowning a bit. "Did you have any siblings?"

Finnick shook his head. "No, only child. Maybe that's why they let me do what I wanted." His smile returned for a quick moment, and faded again. "What about you?"

"I was an only child too, and my parents are.. gone too," she said, sighing a bit. "I think that might be the case with a lot of people now a days. Nobody has anyone left."

She watched Finnick down the rest of his drink, making a face when he was done and set the glass down on the table.

"We have each other," he said, looking at Annie. He must've realized what exactly he said, because he quickly spoke again. "I mean, _everyone_ in this house.. You know, has each other. It's not family, but it's as good as it's going to get."

"Right," Annie said, her eyes looking up to finally meet his as she smiled. They both looked at each other for what seemed like eternity, but in reality, was only a few seconds. She felt her stomach churn a bit, but not in a bad way exactly. Maybe it was the alcohol. She didn't know exactly what she was feeling, but she knew it felt entirely new to her. She would come to learn in the next few weeks that it wasn't the alcohol that was making her feel this way, it was something much stronger.

* * *

 **Finnick's POV**

As the weeks past, Annie and Finnick became much closer. She was the only person he felt he could truly be himself with. He didn't mind sharing things about his past with her, and was more than happy to listen to hers. He learned things about her, about her famiy, about what life was like for her before and after the outbreak. She was so strong; much stronger than she gave herself credit for.

Finnick knew he liked her. He hated himself for it, but as the days went on, he became positive that what he felt for her wasn't just platonic. Every time he looked at her, she seemed to get more and more beautiful, and it made him feel sick. Sick in a good way, something he was unfamiliar with feeling. When he was growing up, girls had made him feel many ways, but none like Annie did.

They still shared a bed even though Annie didn't exactly need him there anymore. She still _wanted_ him there though. They became more comfortable with sleeping together, and neither of them pretended like they didn't know how wrapped up in each other they were when they woke up. Each day, it felt like it was just them two in this house and no one else. That's how preoccupied his mind had become on her.

This particular morning, they had just woken up and Finnick sat up in bed, running a hand through his messy morning hair. He glanced to Annie who was sitting up as well, noting that he liked the way she looked even when she woke up.

"I think I want to go outside today," Annie spoke up, looking at Finnick. "Will you come with me?"

Finnick looked at her for a moment before nodding. This was a big deal for her, considering that she hadn't been outside since the incident. Getting out of bed, he gave her a small smile and said, "Of course."

They got ready together, making sure they had their weapons and backpacks before they stepped out of the door. Annie stopped in her tracks when they stepped into the wooded area outside their house, looking around at the trees around her. Finnick sensed her fear, so he quickly grabbed her small hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Come on, it's alright," he said, slowly beginning to move again and watching her follow close behind him. He thankfully didn't hear or see any walkers around. It was just the two of them, walking hand in hand with each other through the forest as the sun shown down on them through the trees.

Neither of them had addressed their feelings for one another, but it was beginning to become a given. Finnick could see it in her eyes when she looked at him and in the way she acted around him. He just hoped that she felt as strongly about him as he did for her. It was almost too much to keep in. He knew he had to do something, and soon.

After a moment, Annie spoke up again.

"Thank you. For everything," she said, slowly coming to a hault so she could look up at him now. "These past few weeks.. I couldn't have gotten through them if it weren't for you, you know."

Finnick looked into her pale green eyes, letting go of her hand now as he peered down at her. "I was happy to do it, Annie. Really."

He noticed that she made no effort to look away from him. Her eyes were as deeply fixed on him as his were on her. He felt his heartbeat in his ears, his hands getting sweaty, his breath becoming uneven. He had never been this nervous with a girl before. Not wanting to overthink anymore than he already was, he moved closer to Annie, his hand moving up to caress her cheek lightly to give her a chance to back down if she wanted to. But she didn't, she stayed still, her eyes looking up to him still as she leaned into his touch. He could tell she was nervous as she inched closer to him, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder lightly.

Finnick finally filled the gap between them and put his other hand on small of her back, pulling her close as he kissed her, his lips meeting hers tenderly as she kissed him back. It was everything he had been waiting so long for. It was just a kiss, yet it fulfilled everything in him. It was more satisfaction than he had ever felt before. After a long moment, he pulled away to look at her, a small smile forming on his lips. She looked at him in awe, taking a moment to collect herself before she spoke.

"That.. That was my first kiss ever," she said quietly, her breath hitching slightly and her eyes not leaving his. He saw the small smile on her lips, and knew that this had gone as good as he wanted it to. He was shocked to hear that she had never even kissed anyone before, but her innocence made her that much more attractive.

"Well, how about another?" he asked with a small smirk, his thumb lightly tracing her cheek.

Before he could do anything, Annie took the initiative and put her hand on the back of his neck to pull him into another long kiss.

From enemies, to strangers, to friends, to lovers. They were in this together now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Seriously just straight fluff. Enjoy :)**

* * *

She had always heard about it in movies, T.V. or books. It was an easy concept to understand, but feeling it was entirely different. Love. It had hit her hard. Not just hard, but it seemed to come all at once too.

After they had shared their first kiss and solidified their feelings for each other, they were inseparable. During the next weeks, it was like he was the only one around, and she was in her own little bubble of heaven. Nothing had ever made her feel like this before; it almost felt like a virus. Before she knew it, it had infected her entire being, making her see nothing but how wonderful Finnick Odair was. Annie wouldn't dare tell him that she loved him yet in fear that he didn't feel the same way. That thought terrified her, but she enjoyed what they had and didn't want to ruin anything.

It had been a couple months now in this house, and life was still secure and favorable for the two of them. Annie's only problem was Johanna's never ending glares and harsh treatment towards her. She understood in a way why she was angry, but it wasn't her fault, and she definitely wasn't giving Finnick up. Annie hardly considered this a problem regardless. All she really needed was him anyway.

One night, she was curled up to him, her head laying on his chest as the covers laid over both of them. They had laid down to go to sleep, and Annie moved to turn off the light. She felt Finnick's hand grab hers lightly, stopping her from turning it off. This caused her to look at him, and she met him with a small smile, searching his eyes curiously.

"If you turned it off, I wouldn't get to see you anymore," Finnick said with a smirk, and Annie rolled her eyes, letting out a small laugh.

"What a shame that'd be," Annie said softly, smiling as she moved her fingers to brush his hair away from his eyes.

Just then, he kissed her softly, his hand moving to caress her cheek as the other rested on her hip. The more they kissed, the more Finnick began to move his hands around and Annie began to notice herself heat up. Her breath would become heavier as well, her palms sweaty, the hairs on her arms standing up, goosebumps when his hands moved to her legs. Finnick was a gentleman, and knew he needed to take it slow and carefully with Annie due to what she had been through. He never went too high up when his fingers grazed over her legs, and they never strayed elsewhere either. For awhile, she needed that time. Taking her time to warm up to this allowed her to begin to develop a more positive response to being touched and kissed. She felt safe with him, and knew he was nothing like those men she encountered. Annie trusted him fully and knew she was ready for them to do more. She couldn't keep denying the way she was feeling anymore, she was only human.

They continued to kiss slowly, Finnick's hands beginning to explore her body as his hands skimmed over her soft legs. She felt herself beginning to heat up again, her breath also becoming shaky against his lips. He definitely knew what he was doing to her, but still didn't touch her in the places that she wanted to be touched. He had to hear her say it first.

"Finnick," Annie breathed against his lips after a moment, pulling away from the kiss to look at him. "You.. You make me feel like I.. I don't know, but.." she started.

"I know, Annie," Finnick said, a small smile forming on his lips. Finnick put his hand on her back, pulling her closer and narrowing the gap in between them. He looked down at her, his fingers moving to play with some of her hair.

"Well, I.. I think I want you to.. I don't know. I.." Her cheeks were getting red, and she was biting her lip, trying desperately to hide her excited but nervous feelings.

"Use your words, honey. Don't be shy," Finnick spoke quietly, his eyes searching her face, a smirk still playing on his lips.

She stared at him for a long moment. "I want to go farther.. with you," she stated finally in a timid voice, swallowing hard.

This finally seemed to satisfy Finnick, whose facade of confidence never faltered even though he was probably more excited to do this than she was. He leaned in and kissed her again, this time more passionately, his tongue beginning to lightly graze along hers. After a moment, his mouth moved from her lips to her jaw, his hands beginning to wander again. Annie's heart began to accelerate even more when she felt his lips on her neck, her mouth hanging slightly ajar as his hands moved to her legs. This time, his fingers inched higher along the inside of her thighs.

"Tell me when you want me to stop, Annie," he whispered softly against her skin. "We'll only do as much as you're comfortable with, okay?"

She nodded slowly, but stayed silent as his fingers inched higher. He slid his hand into her underwear, pulling away to look at her carefully with his piercing eyes. His fingers moved to spread her gently apart as he found her sweet spot, causing Annie to gasp softly. The flat pads of two fingers rubbed her in slow circles, her own wetness making it easy for him to do so. Annie's breath hitched and she arched her back, letting out a soft moan, her hips leaning up naturally into the feeling. She had never heard that sound come from her befonre and she had never felt this before. It was indescribable how good it felt, there was nothing she could do but focus on the absolute pleasure she was feeling.

Finnick kissed along her neck again, his fingers still moving at the same pace. She felt a feeling building up inside her, in the pit of her stomach, but she had no clue what it was. All she knew was she felt even hotter now, her breath heavier and shaking as her fingers gripped lightly onto the bed sheets. She moaned again, not being able to help but be a little louder now. Finnick pulled away his hand though after a second, making Annie's body ache for his touch again. Before she could ask why he stopped, Finnick moved so his body was on top of hers.

"I'm gonna try something else. It'll make you feel even better. Is that okay?" He asked as he looked down at her and pushed a piece of her hair away from her eyes.

Annie nodded slowly, watching as Finnick moved down to disappear under the covers. She didn't know what exactly he was doing, but when he began to kiss her thighs, she forgot all about her nervousness again. Finnick slowly tugged her panties off and began to touch her again for a moment before he replaced his fingers with his tongue. Annie gasped again as she felt him, this time the feeling being even more intense than the last. Finnick had been around quite a lot, so pleasing a woman was something he had gotten quite skilled at. He swirled his tongue around, his hands moving to her stomach as he licked and sucked. His fingers crept up to gently grab her breast, rolling her nipple in between his thumb and forefinger, causing Annie to moan again, and again, and again. _Oh god_ , it was all so much. She felt the feeling of pressure building up more and more, but didn't entirely know what was happening to her. As he continued, the intensity of it increased. Her hips arched and she squirmed, not knowing what to do with herself but just revel in the feeling. It didn't take long before he sent her over the edge into waves of pleasure, causing her to cry out his name in ecstasy, her entire body overcome by the sensation. It lasted for a long moment before it subsided, leaving her panting and trembling. She watched as Finnick emerged from the covers with a proud grin, wiping his mouth with his hand. He moved to kiss her softly, and Annie kissed him back, tasting herself on his lips in the process.

"What did you do to me?" She asked, still

trying to catch her breath as the after affects still lingered.

Finnick looked at her, tilting his head.

"You've never had an orgasm before? Like not even from touching yourself?" He asked curiously.

"I.. uh.. No, I've never touched myself. And I don't know what that is," she said quietly, feeling a little embarrassed now that she was so inexperienced.

"It's okay. That's what just happened to you. You had an orgasm, or you.. came. That's what people usually call it," he said, laying down next to her now as he leaned on his elbow and looked at her.

"Well.. it was so.. so incredible," she mumbled, curling up to him. When she did, she felt something pressing against her. Moving away, she looked down and saw Finnick's hardness in his pants, her eyes averting back up to meet his.

"Does that mean you're feeling like I am?" She asked with a smile as she pressed herself against him more, purposefully wiggling a little so she could arouse him further.

"Mhm," was all Finnick managed to say as he sucked in a breath. She could tell that he was struggling to maintain his composure, and she had gotten him as worked up as she hoped to.

* * *

 **Finnick's POV**

His heart was already beating just as fast as hers, probably faster. He swallowed hard as Annie's pressed herself against him. He was perfectly content with not going any further; he was happy just to please her. Still though, all that had made him quite.. excited. He definitely couldn't ignore the overwhelming urge he had, but he could control himself regardless.

"Finnick, I want you," Annie whispered, causing Finnick to snap out of his thoughts, looking back at the beautiful dark haired girl before him, watching as her hand moved to his chest.

"I.. um.. like, sex?" He asked, not believing he was the one who was getting nervous now. He had been waiting for this for so long. Not just sex, but sex with Annie. Sex with a girl that he.. With a girl that he was falling in love with. He had never really been in love before, and certainly not with any girl he'd slept with. Sure, he liked some, but never like this. Annie was different. She was his light, his hope for a better life.

Annie nodded slowly, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'm ready," she said quietly, kissing his lips again. "You just have to.. lead the way, okay?"

Finnick looked at her for a long moment, before nodding slowly.

"Annie, it might hurt," he said quietly, moving his hand to caress her face. "We can wait.. it's really okay."

Annie looked at him, smiling and shaking her head.

"You're not getting nervous on me now, are you? I thought I was the one who was supposed to be," she said, nudging him lightly.

Finnick looked at Annie, so beautiful, so pure, so innocent.. He knew he should trust her to tell him what she wanted, but he couldn't help but be apprehensive towards the fact that he might hurt her in the process. Still, he nodded, a small smile forming on his lips as he leaned in to kiss her softly.

"Wait," Finnick said, pulling away as he remembered something quite important. "We need protection." He sat up, looking at Annie.

"Protection? From.. what?" Annie asked.

"From you getting pregnant," he informed, standing up. "Hold on, I'll be right back." He stood up, hating the fact that he had to leave. When he did, he went to Johanna's room, praying she wasn't in there. Unfortunately, she was there, sitting on her bed, reading a magazine of some sorts. She looked up at him when he came in, and oddly, smiled at him.

"Looking for these?" She asked, picking up the condoms that she oddly enough had ready laying next to her.

Finnick looked at her, puzzled for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes," he said, stepping forward to take them, but Johanna moved them out of his reach, shaking her head.

"You can have them. But just know, if she gets knocked up, you're both out of here," Johanna said, her voice not necessarily angry, but not kind either.

"That's why I'm taking these," he said, reaching for the condoms again, trying desperately to hide how aggravated he was.

She kept them from him again and looked at him, very seriously this time. "I'm serious," she said, and with that, handed the box over to him.

He grabbed it a little more harshly than intended and scoffed. "Got it," he said, and with that, he left, not understanding why she was so adamant on telling Finnick that. Of course she wouldn't get pregnant if they used protection, and Johanna had never mentioned that to him when they were doing their thing.

He didn't let it concern him too much though, he was preoccupied on something else much more important. When Finnick opened the door to Annie and his bedroom, he saw her, lying on the bed, naked, with only a sheet laying over her body as she leaned on her side and looked at him. It nearly took his breath away how beautiful she looked with her long dark hair draping over her shoulders. She looked like an angel lying there, so much so that he was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Oh.. hi," was all he managed to say quietly as he walked through the door and closed it behind him.

"Hi," she said with a small smile, looking him over carefully. He could tell by just her face she looked nervous, but he didn't mention it because he was nervous too.

He took one condom out of the box, putting the rest on his nightstand, slowly making his way to lay down on the bed next to her, eyeing her carefully.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her quietly again, his fingers moving to gently feel over the curve of her body under the sheet.

"Yes, Finnick. I want you," she repeated, causing him to fall more at ease.

He smiled, and leaned in to kiss her softly, his hand slipping behind her head into her hair. As he kissed her, he slowly moved so he was on top of her, guiding her body to be underneath his. He didn't know why, but he was really nervous. He had never done this before. He had had sex many times, but he had never made love before. It was completely different. There was no frantic undressing, no barely knowing the other persons name, no roughness.. Just gentleness and... love.

He began to move his hands under the sheet now, feeling her soft skin again, listening to her breathing becoming heavier again. Annie moved her hands to take off his shirt now, throwing it to the side once she got it off. She examined his body with her hands, feeling along his skin before they moved to unzip and remove his pants. They continued to kiss, Finnick pressing against her instinctually, his body feeling like it needed to be on hers.

He moved his fingers down to feel over her sex again, causing her to gasp softly against his lips, a sound that was music to his ears. She was plenty wet, and Finnick knew that would help with the pain. He touched her while he kissed her, feeling her body respond underneath his. After a moment, he removed them, slowly moving to slip off his underwear. After doing so, he moved the sheet so that it was over the both of them, his bare body hovering over hers. He looked down at her, into her beautiful green eyes and smiled a bit, his other hand moving to caress her cheek.

"I love you, Annie," he said, not even realizing what he had said until after it was out. What was worse was that he meant it completely. His eyes widened a little bit, and he opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Annie's lips on his.

"I love you too, Finnick," she whispered softly after she pulled away, her fingers moving to run through his bronze colored hair. "I really do."

A huge weight felt like it had been lifted off his chest. Like everything he had been feeling for weeks wasn't scary anymore. He felt confident in his feelings since he knew she felt the same. He smiled, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Ready?" He asked softly, kissing her soft lips once more.

Annie nodded, kissing him again, her breath shaking against his lips. After slipping on the condom, Finnick slowly guided himself into her, making sure to only put a small part of himself inside of her at first. When he did, everything in him wanted to burry himself in her. She was tight like he had never experienced before. He had control and restrain though; he knew he must be gentle with her. He looked down at her face, noticing it had twisted up in discomfort. Her fingers moved to grip tightly onto his shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"It's okay. Keep going," Annie breathed before he could say anything.

He decided to trust her, and nodded slowly, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he slowly moved more of himself into her. She whimpered softly, a sound of pain, not pleasure, which absolutely killed Finnick. He hated that it was hurting her, but he knew it'd have to be like this before it could get better. Instead of saying anything, he began to kiss her neck softly, slowly beginning to move into her. He continued to check with her to see if she was okay, and each time she told him to not stop. After awhile, her body adjusted and got used to the feeling. The pain subsided, and she relaxed more underneath him, beginning to kiss his lips again.

It comforted Finnick to know she was beginning to enjoy herself, because he felt like he couldn't if she wasn't. As he began a slow and steady rhythm, he found it difficult to keep the noises in. He moved to kiss her neck again, groaning quietly as he continued to move his hips. Annie let out a small moan as well, her lips kissing along his neck as her fingers gripped harder onto his shoulder. He could tell she was enjoying herself now from the way her body was responding to him. Her hips moved up to meet his with each thrust, and her breathing began to shake again.

Slowly, Finnick picked up his pace a little, his lips crashing to hers again as he kissed her, more hungrily now; more desperately. She returned the feeling, kissing him back and moaning against his lips, pulling away after a moment to catch her breath.

"Oh, Finnick. You feel so good," she moaned softly in his ear, causing him to be pushed further to the edge that he was already so dangerously close to.

He swallowed hard, kissing along her skin before his mouth went lower to her breasts. He took her nipple into his mouth as he rocked his hips still, his tongue swirling gently around it, causing her to gasp and moan again. He wanted her to feel as good as he was feeling, maybe even more. Finnick reached his hand to move in between her legs, beginning to rub her gently in circles, hearing her moan even more when he did that. Finnick felt himself nearing his finish more and more, but he held back to make it last as long as he could.

Moving into her even faster now, he grunted softly, his forehead now leaning against hers now as he grabbed onto the sheets. She was panting now too, moaning with every breath she exhaled. Annie could feel herself nearing her edge too with Finnick touching her like that. There were so many sensations at once she didn't know what to do with herself.

After a few more minutes, Finnick didn't know how much more he could take. Still moving his fingers in between her legs, he knew he was bringing her to the edge too. With a few more thrusts, finally he came, his hips pressing against hers as he moaned, his other hand gripping tightly onto the sheets. Just moments after, Annie cried out as well, Finnick rubbing her faster now to give her the most pleasure he could. Both of them rode out their orgasms together, reveling in the moment of pure ecstasy.

After they were done, Finnick moved to get off of her, collapsing on the bed next to her, still breathing hard and heavy. He removed the condom, tying it and putting it in the trash next to the bed. He looked over at Annie who was already looking at him and pulled the dark haired girl close, kissing the top of her head.

"Finnick, that was.. so.." Annie started breathlessly, her head moving to rest on his chest.

"I know," he said, chuckling as he looked down at her. He ran his fingers up and down her soft back, struggling to catch his breath.

She looked up at him now too, her hand moving to touch his cheek. Her fingers ran through his slightly sweat dampened hair, just looking into his eyes.

"I never imagined I'd meet someone like you in this world," she said quietly with a small smile. "It's funny how things work out."

"I'm glad I didn't shoot you," he said with a chuckle, making Annie laugh as well. "I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone. Funny how things work out."

He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head again, closing his eyes. Annie closed her eyes as well, hugging him to her as both of them fell asleep, entangled in each other's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Annie's POV**

The next morning, Annie woke before Finnick, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she looked around the room. Her head still resting on his chest, she looked up at Finnick to see his eyes still closed, his chest still rising and falling at the same, steady pace. At the mere sight of him, her body seemed to fill with warmth that spread everywhere, causing her to smile. She kissed his cheek lightly and sat up, pulling the sheet up to her chest as she ran her delicate fingers through her hair.

Annie zoned out for a moment as she remembered the night before and how wonderful she felt, even feeling the after effects now. Making love wasn't something she had experienced until last night, and she was happy she got to experience it with someone she really loved. Still smiling, she got out of bed and started to pull on her clothes when she heard Finnick start to stir. She watched as he opened his eyes and sat up, his lips immediately curling up into a smile or smirk of some sort.

"What a nice site to wake up to," he said, his eyes briefly looking at her body, but then moving up to meet her eyes again.

Annie giggled and finished slipping her underwear on, making her way over to him. She moved to get on top of him, her legs on either side of his waist with only the sheet separating them. She looked into his alluring green eyes and over his face, which was looking up at awe of her. She had never felt so loved before, and it was extremely overwhelming because she had never felt something so strong before. He moved his hand up to take hers, his eyes moving to watch as their fingers entwined. Just a simple touch felt so right and made her body fill with warmth. She watched their fingers for a moment before her eyes returned to his. She leaned down finally to kiss his lips, her other hand moving to caress his face as she did. He met her lips with the same passion, his hand moving up to tangle in her soft brown curls. As their lips parted, they looked at each other for a long time, reveling in the new, intense feelings they both had the ability to freely express how.

Annie cleared her throat, giving him a small smile before she got off of him, and stood up again to find her shirt.

"Come on," she spoke softly, slipping her shirt and pants on as she watched him sit up. "I can smell breakfast."

He smiled, following suit as he stood and pulled his clothes on as well. They found it extremely hard to keep their eyes off one another. No words needed to be said to explain how they felt this morning; they could hear everything they wanted to say in each other's eyes.

They made their way downstairs together, Finnick following behind Annie. Everyone was already at the table and it seemed all of them at once looked up at them. Annie noticed a small smile of sorts on their faces, telling her that these walls were probably more thin than she thought they were. They all looked down at their food again, everyone except Johanna who met Annie's eyes. Johanna was not smiling. In fact, she didn't look happy at all. Annie knew that she never cared for her, but the look in her eyes was something she had never seen before. Most likely a new found hatred the girl had for her. Annie decided not to take it personally; she knew her and Finnick were _involved_ and the girl was under the impression Annie had stolen him away from her. Annie tried to put herself in Johanna's situation, and she knew that she wouldn't feel good about it either.

Annie sat down next to Finnick, clearing her throat and beginning to scoop some eggs and ham onto her plate, ignoring Johanna's glaring eyes on her. She took a deep breath, glancing to Finnick who also seemed to notice Johanna's attitude towards her. He reached under the table, taking Annie's hand and squeezing it lightly.

 **Finnick's POV**

It seemed like not even Johanna could ruin Finnick's good mood this morning. Despite how she was looking at them, he didn't care because he had the girl he truly wanted right by his side. He would be lying though if he said that he didn't feel a little bad for what he did to Johanna. She approached him about a strictly "no feelings" relationship, but then she ended up catching feelings for him. That was supposed to be his problem? She knew exactly what she was getting into, and it's not like she treating Annie great even before they were involved together. She barely cared about the girl when she was attacked by those men, and now he was supposed to feel bad for her? No. He refused to even entertain her at this point.

He held onto Annie's hand and ate with the other, enjoying the fact that he had nutritious hot food, shelter and a girl that he loved by his side when a couple months ago, he was on his own, barely making it on squirrels and deer. That was more than enough to be thankful for.

As they finished up breakfast, Finnick began to think about their plans for today. He wondered if they needed to make another supply run, or if perhaps him and Annie could walk somewhere together. Yes, the world was rid with zombies, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy themselves outside. He got up with her, starting up the stairs so he could talk to her about their plans for the day when he was stopped with a hand on his arm. He turned around to see Johanna standing there.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked, not looking so mad now, but more vulnerable. Seeming to completely ignore Annie, she kept her eyes on his.

Finnick glanced to Annie quickly, trying to gauge her reaction. She seemed calm, and just nodded to Finnick.

"I'll wait for you up here," Annie said, meeting Johanna's eyes for a brief moment before starting up the stairs without him.

Finnick cleared his throat as Johanna led him downstairs, and out the door, sitting herself down on the steps. They were closed in by the gate around the house, so they were safe from the threats outside of them. He sat down next to her, making sure to keep his distance from her. It was silent for a long time, which was strange to Finnick. Deciding to break the silence, he started to speak.

"Look, if this is about Annie, I don't want-" he started.

"I love you," Johanna interrupted, looking up at him finally.

Finnick looked back at her, searching her dark brown eyes for a moment. The words he had just heard took awhile to register. He cleared his throat nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"What?" Was all he managed to choke out, even though he had heard her perfectly clear.

"I love you, Finnick. I have for awhile now," she said, her voice softer now. Her eyes didn't leave his, and she stared at him intensely.

That was one of the things that attracted her to him. She was intense, dark, mysterious.. Intriguing. Not to mention, beautiful. He didn't love her though. He respected her as a friend, as someone who took him in when he was in need. He knew Johanna had feelings for him, but he didn't know it was _love_. He took a deep breath, but before he could speak, she leaned in, pressing her lips to his. No, he would not give into this. Months ago, he wouldn't have cared who he hurt, but he was in love now. In love with a sweet, lovely girl who was waiting for him upstairs. More in love than he had ever been before. He would be absolutely out of his mind to mess that up.

Finnick didn't kiss her back, but instead gently grabbed her shoulders to pull her away from him. He wasn't angry at her. He felt sympathy for her. He realized finally how much damage he had done to her. He had used her for weeks to fulfill his needs, failing to realize how she was falling for him the whole time. The guilt made his heart sink as he looked at her face, watching her expression turn solemn.

"No, Johanna," he started softly. "I'm sorry for what I did, but I'm with someone else now. I really love her. I can't do this."

Johanna looked down at her hands which she started to fidget with. She seemed embarrassed now, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She didn't say anything, but just looked at him and nodded slowly.

She stood, taking a moment to collect herself as she wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. With that, she walked into the house, closing the door behind her to leave Finnick on the steps by himself.


End file.
